Valentine Fumble
by tentsubasa
Summary: For Annie Leonhart, nothing is going right this Valentine's Day, as her honmei-choco becomes tomo-choco and her crush goes over the moon for other people's giri-choco. But when everything hits rock bottom, things can only go up.


**This is probably the cheesiest thing I've ever written, and I'm honestly kind of embarrassed to post it, but oh well. So, uh, Happy White Day, even though this is a Valentine's Day story, but my laptop crashed last month, so I've been having an interesting time trying to salvage my files.**

**To make things easier, I'm going to have a short chocolate glossary and just use the names like they're proper nouns because the translated names are just too weird.**

**Giri-choco = obligation chocolate; this is what women give to male family members, co-workers, etc., basically to men who have helped with something or other and they want to thank them**

**Tomo-choco = friendship chocolate; this is chocolate women give to their female friends, and it can be for similar reasons as giri-choco, but the main difference is that this is a woman-to-woman thing whereas giri-choco is woman-to-man**

**Honmei-choco = heart's desire chocolate; this is chocolate a woman gives a man she has feelings for**

**Gyaku-choco = backward chocolate; chocolate a man gives to a woman (the fact that he's doing this at all on Valentine's Day implies that it's honmei-choco)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan**_** or any affiliates.**

* * *

"Annie!"

Annie Leonhart raised her sky blue eyes to the furiously waving figure of her best friend running, her black pigtails bouncing with every step. The blonde girl sighed internally, feeling the jab in her stomach. She hated herself for it, but felt it just the same. If Mina was this happy, it could only mean one thing.

Mina Carolina threw her arms around her petite best friend, squeezing her hard enough to knock the wind out of her. "He liked them! Marco liked them!"

Since the slate-eyed girl couldn't see her face, the usually stoic Annie didn't need to hide the sadness in her smile. "Congratulations."

But she apparently wasn't good enough to hide it in her voice. Mina pulled back, immediately concerned. "What's wrong?"

Annie looked back at a medium-sized box of partially-eaten chocolates that until now had been hidden from the taller girl. "Want some?"

Mina's eyes widened in shock. "Don't tell me he didn't want them!"

Annie shrugged and sat back down.

"Who is she?" Mina demanded. "Who stole him from you?"

"You can't have something stolen that wasn't yours."

"I was so sure he liked you! You two are always on shift together for the library committee and he smiles and waves whenever he sees you. He asks you to pair up with him for Math every time we have an exercise to do in class too."

"Coincidence, he's nice, and we sit next to each other." Annie picked up a dark chocolate square and bit into it. The bitter taste she usually enjoyed was vile. She grimaced. "It's not a big deal. These are kind of gross anyway."

Mina snatched a round milk chocolate medallion and popped it in her mouth. "Liar. You're a better cook than me, and don't change the subject." Her face softened. "What happened? He didn't embarrass you or anything, did he?"

Annie shook her head. "I just don't think he needs mine. He's got plenty."

Mina frowned. "Are you telling me that you're giving up because he got chocolate from other girls? Those could be giri-choco, you know."

"Even if they were, he was so excited to receive them that I don't think mine will matter."

"How excited are we talking?"

"Like he was getting the ocean wrapped in a box."

"Ouch," Mina winced. "But it's not like he knew you were there."

"Three of them came while we were on duty in the library."

"Oh…." She settled on the bench as well. "You shouldn't just give up, though."

Annie ate a mint truffle and wrinkled her nose. Too much mint extract. Her taste buds must've been off when she'd taste tested them. "He went on and on about how ecstatic he was to receive their chocolates and that nothing could top this feeling."

"Maybe he was just being ni—"

"To Eren after they left."

"Oh…." After a long, awkward pause, the brunette reached over and popped a piece in her mouth. "I have to say, being friends with you definitely has some perks."

Annie snorted, but looked a little happier. One by one, the chocolates disappeared.

Three away from completion, a voice rang out, "Annie, Mina!" Annie stiffened as Mina turned. She'd know that voice anywhere.

With a wide grin, a slight boy with golden chin-length hair drew close. "What're you two doing?" Armin Arlert asked curiously, brightly wrapped boxes poking out of his schoolbag. He glimpsed the virtually-finished box between them. "Eating tomo-choco together? Good call. A box that size would be hard to polish off by yourself."

Mina looked at Annie out of the corner of her eye. From the way the blonde had lowered her head, it looked like she wasn't going to do anything. She clenched her fists. It was up to her. Mina fixed her eyes firmly on Armin's ocean blues. "Nope, guess again."

"Huh?" He blinked. Then, he turned pale. His eyes anxiously turned to Annie. "Annie…is this gyaku-choco…?"

Feeling perverse, she turned her face away. "What if it is?"

Devastation dimmed his eyes. "Oh…I see…." He scuffed his toe, misery overtaking his frame. "I guess…congratulations are in order, huh?" His lips turned up in a smile that looked more like a grimace. "So…who's the lucky guy?"

"No one, Armin," Mina answered, ignoring Annie's glare. "Guess again."

His face went blank. "It's not gyaku-choco?" He frowned in confusion, "But you said—"

"I said, 'What if it is?'" Annie interrupted. "I didn't say it was."

"That's as good as saying it is," he argued, his youthful face splotching an unattractive shade of red. Irritation and soul-shattering relief warred within him. He wasn't too late after all. But why would she say something like that? It didn't make any sense.

"Why do you care anyway?"

That stopped him up short. "I…just…because," he finished lamely. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "I…umm…" he averted his eyes, "I should probably get going…."

"It's honmei-choco, Armin."

"Mina!"

"There's no point in keeping it a secret."

"Honmei-choco?" Then, it clicked. He kneeled in front of Annie, immediately concerned. "Oh, Annie…I'm so sorry."

She stared at him. He had figured it out with just that?

"I didn't mean to remind you of your failed confession. I had no idea you even liked someone."

She resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands. She was an idiot for getting her hopes up. He wasn't that kind of genius.

"Whoever he is, he's an idiot," he stated loyally.

Her eyes locked with his for a long moment, then, she exhaled, "Yes, you are."

"What?" His eyebrows puckered.

"You're an idiot," she repeated.

"Err, did I miss something?"

She stood and scooped up her things. "I'm not spelling it out for you," she declared as she strode away. She was so done with this stupid day.

He reached for her. "Annie, what—?"

"Don't touch me," she ordered coldly, slapping his hand away.

Once he'd broken out of his shock, Armin turned beseeching eyes to Mina. "Was it something I said?"

Mina shook her head. "_Men._" "Anything happen while you were in the library during lunch?"

He scratched his head. "Uh…Eren came to visit."

"No one else?"

"Mmm…not that I can…oh, wait, a few girls I'd tutored stopped by to let me know they did well on their tests."

"Is that all they did?"

"Since it's Valentine's Day, they gave me some giri-choco, but…that's pretty normal, isn't it…?"

"And what about after?"

"After? Eren and I just kept talking. It's the first time I've ever gotten chocolate from anyone other than Mikasa, so we were pretty excited, I guess, but I don't see why…" his voice trailed off as the tumblers began to fall into place. He paled impossibly as everything became clear. "Mina…by any chance, that chocolate you two were eating…was-was that for _me_…?"

She smiled eerily. "Bingo! Looks like you missed out. Better luck next year."

He felt like he was going to be sick. What had he done? He had to find Annie. He had to fix this. "I-I-I need to go," he stammered, taking off as fast as he could in the direction where Annie had stormed off.

He didn't know how long he searched, but eventually, he found her on the roof. "Annie!" he panted as he fell to the ground beside her.

She turned to look at him, but the way she did it made him feel as if he were invisible.

Once he caught his breath, he bowed his head. "I'm so sorry, Annie. I never meant to stomp on your feelings. Since Eren, Reiner, and Bertolt told me they'd gotten chocolate from you that morning, I just assumed you weren't giving me any. Honestly, until that moment, I didn't realize just how much I had been looking forward to getting giri-choco from you. I know I shouldn't have since it's not like you said you were going to, but I guess when I got those other chocolates, I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't that upset. I never _dreamed_ you planned to give me honmei-choco. If I'd known, I might not have even accepted those other chocolates."

She raised an eyebrow. "Why?" She hadn't minded that he'd taken them, just how happy they had made him; he'd helped them study and they were thanking him for it. That's all it was on their side.

He fixed his eyes firmly on hers, the determination in them taking her aback. "Because the only chocolates I want are yours. I'd rather have one piece of chocolate from the girl I like than a hundred from anyone else."

"Armin…."

"I like you, Annie. I have now for months." Only then, did he look nervous. "How, umm, do you, uh, feel about m-me?"

For a long moment, she sat dumbly, unable to believe her ears. He liked her? The only person he wanted chocolate from was her? If she died right now, she'd have no complaints.

The longer she remained silent, the more his confidence eroded. He'd ruined everything. Of course she didn't like him anymore. After the way he'd carried on with Eren about those other girls' chocolates flaunting them in her face, what could he expect? He cursed himself. Sure it had hurt that Annie hadn't considered him worth giving chocolate to, but that didn't mean he should've made out those other chocolates to be more than they were. What had he been thinking? That if he showed her how happy he was to get chocolate from other people that it would somehow make him magically more attractive to her? Well no wonder that had backfired spectacularly. How could he be so stupid?! If he'd just kept his trap shut, not only would he have gotten the chocolates he'd wanted so desperately, but the girl he hadn't been able to get off his mind since September.

He smiled mirthlessly. All he could do now was respect her wishes. "I…I guess I'll see you around then."

"Armin." She reached for him.

"It's okay, really." He held up a hand and looked away. "I'll be fine. I really am sorry for what happened today." His smile wavered. "I hope we can still be friends?"

She clamped her hand on his wrist roughly and hauled him up with thunderclouds in her eyes.

"A-Annie?!"

"Are you busy right now?"

"Uh, no, not really, but—"

"Do you have milk at home?"

"Milk? Yeah, I do, but what does that—"

"Good," she threw back as she dragged him behind her bewildered and protesting all the way back to his home where she proceeded straight to the kitchen.

"Annie, what is this all about?" he asked again as he handed her the saucepan she requested.

"Just go sit at the table and start working on Physics. I have some questions about diffuse reflection."

"Umm, okay…?" This made no sense whatsoever. But considering everything that had happened today already, he should count himself lucky. Annie still seemed angry if the severe scrunch of her eyebrows was anything to go by, but at least she was willing to be around him. That in itself was more than he'd hoped for at least for a few weeks. He rested his head on the table and closed his eyes. What could he do to make this up to her? If she was willing to study with him still, she couldn't completely hate his guts, right? Would it be weird to give her something for White Day? She hadn't technically given him chocolate, but she'd planned to; that counted, right? Right? "_Oh, whom am I kidding?_" he thought glumly. It didn't matter if it counted or not. There was no way he could win Annie back in time for the White Day confession he'd been planning since last month. The best he could hope for was getting back in her good graces before they graduated next year.

"Here." Something thunked on the table. "Drink this. It'll warm you up." He opened his eyes in time to see her sit across from him and pull out her own homework. "It was pretty cold today."

"Thanks." He took a few sips before it registered what he was drinking. "Hot chocolate?"

She shrugged and continued leafing through her papers. "You don't drink coffee, and I didn't see any decaf tea. Do you not like hot chocolate?"

"No, I do." He took another sip of the semi-sweet drink and enjoyed the mint perking up his senses. "I just didn't realize we had any powder in the house."

"You didn't." The shuffling stopped. "I…melted what was left over from your box." The words got softer and softer until they almost disappeared completely. "You got bars from the other girls, and Mina and I ate most of what I'd made. I figured only a girlfriend would be able to make hot chocolate in her boyfriend's kitchen." She ducked her head back in her schoolbag, the blush creeping all the way to her ears.

"Annie…" he breathed, joy flooding him. "Does-does this mean…?"

"You have a brain, genius, use it," she snapped, unable to meet his eyes.

He reached over and squeezed her hand, warm sunshine in his gaze. "Thank you, Annie."

Eventually, she met his eyes and gave him a small smile that took his breath away. "Happy Valentine's Day, Armin."

* * *

**Since chocolate-giving is such a big thing in Japan, honmei-choco can take many forms. People make actual chocolates, buy special chocolates, make chocolate-flavored baked goods and drinks, things like that. I have to thank **_**Kiniro no Corda**_** for the idea for this story since one of the scenes from the game inspired Armin's mess-up and gave me the idea for the hot chocolate bit. Annie's so cute! Even if the whole thing is almost nauseatingly cheesy. orz**


End file.
